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Mixtiles used to make 20×20 cm tiles; today it sells regular frames that look similar to Framky frames on the wall. The real difference is the mounting — and the print: Framky uses pigment printing, so colours come out deeper.
 of frames in a living room. The frames look similar — what differs is how they get onto the wall](/_next/image?url=%2Fblog%2Fphoto-tiles-vs-framed-gallery.webp&w=828&q=75)
A wall of Mixtiles frames and a wall of Framky frames look similar in a photo. That is not a marketing trick: Mixtiles no longer sells tiles as its main product. It used to — simple 20×20 cm squares, stuck up side by side. Today the box contains regular frames, and they look similar to Framky frames.
So the question is not "tiles or frames", but how that gallery gets onto the wall — and, if the print itself matters to you, what printing method made the photos.
For a comparison of the brands, the range, and the materials, see Framky vs Mixtiles. This piece is about something else: mounting, and briefly, printing.
| Option | What you get | What you do on the wall | When it makes sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| A self-arrange set (how Mixtiles frames hang) | Frames with photos | You arrange the composition yourself, then stick the frames up | You like deciding on the spot and don't mind eyeballing the gaps |
| A set with a template (how Framky frames hang) | Frames, prints, and a 1:1 template for the whole layout | You stick up the template, transfer the mounting points, peel the paper off | You want the wall to look like the design, without test-fitting frame by frame |
| A gallery of regular frames | Frames and prints bought separately | You measure, level, and drill or hammer in nails | You are building the gallery yourself and accept traditional mounting |
Every row is the same thing: a frame with a photo. What differs is how much work is left for you at the wall.
Mixtiles started with tiles: lightweight 20×20 cm squares. That is why "photo tiles" still shows up in search. Anyone who describes today's Mixtiles that way is describing the brand's history, not what actually hangs on the wall.
Today these are regular frames. From two metres away, Mixtiles frames look similar to Framky frames. Calling them tiles just because the company started that way does not explain anything.
The box contains a set of frames. Then you stand in front of a blank wall and decide the gaps, the centreline, and whether the row is level, on your own. Once you like the layout, you stick the frames up.
That is convenient if you want to get started right away and do not need the on-screen layout to land on the wall millimetre for millimetre. It gets harder when the gallery mixes several sizes: one frame off by a centimetre throws the whole thing off, so you peel it and reposition it.
That is not a flaw in the frames themselves — the frames are fine. What is missing is a drawing of the whole layout that you can transfer to the wall in one move.
Framky is a photo gallery wall: a set of frames with photos printed for a specific composition. The construction is simple — MDF frames, matte photographic paper, a rigid cardboard plate behind the print. On top of that, the frames are without glass: glass would only add glare from a lamp and unnecessary weight for no-drill mounting.
The print itself differs from the standard print that comes with a boxed frame. Photos for Framky frames are made with a different technology: it is pigment printing with a set of 12 inks, which gives deeper colours. If you are hanging any old phone photo, that will be a detail to you. If quality photography matters to you, it will not be.
The set includes a paper template at 1:1 scale. You stick it to the wall, mark the mounting points, peel the paper off — and the layout lands exactly where it was meant to. You are not assembling the gallery on the wall from scratch; you are transferring a finished drawing.
The pack also includes self-adhesive hangers. They will not damage the wall under one condition: the paint has to be firmly bonded to the plaster, and the plaster itself has to be stable. We describe the mounting method and that condition in more detail in hanging photo frames without drilling. If you prefer nails, every frame takes 2 nails in the inner corners (not included in the set).
Ready-made layouts are in the shop: photo gallery wall. We collected living-room ideas in living room photos, gallery wall.
The third path has nothing to do with the Mixtiles-versus-Framky question. It is a classic gallery: lab prints, frames off a shelf, painter's tape, a level, a pencil, a drill or a hammer.
This is where the most things can go off, because you measure each frame separately. Five centimetres of gap in one spot and four and a half in another is visible from a few steps away. And if you do not like the layout afterwards, holes from anchors and nails stay in the wall.
It is still a good choice if you enjoy that kind of work and want to pick frames piece by piece. This path is not a shortcut, though — it is a full, traditional mounting job in your home.
You want to stick the frames up and keep the option of moving a single piece. Choose a set where you arrange the frames on the wall yourself. That is how today's Mixtiles works.
You want the wall to look like the design, without assembling the layout on site. Choose a set with a template. That is how Framky works. If deeper colours in the print matter to you too, pigment printing is on the same side.
You are building a gallery from frames you already own or are buying one at a time. What is left is traditional mounting: measuring, a level, drilling, or nails.
And if you are still torn between the two brands after all this, that is a different question — this piece was about whether you need the template. The offer comparison is on the Framky vs Mixtiles page.
No. Tiles were the old 20×20 cm squares. Today's Mixtiles are regular frames that look similar to Framky frames on the wall.
Mounting and printing. In the Mixtiles set, you arrange the frames on the wall yourself and stick them up. In the Framky set, there is a template that transfers the whole layout from the design to the wall. Photos for Framky frames are made with pigment printing with a set of 12 inks, so colours come out deeper — which matters if you are hanging photos you actually care about, not just decoration.
Yes. Either you stick the frames up yourself after arranging them on the wall, or you hang them on self-adhesive hangers following the template. A drill is only needed for traditional mounting of regular frames.
When you are building a gallery from regular frames and hanging them the classic way: measuring, a level, a hole in the wall or a nail. That is not a flaw in the frames, just the cost of complete freedom in choosing each piece. The Framky set does not need a drill, and if you choose nails instead of hangers, a hammer is enough.
If you want to transfer a finished layout onto the wall without test-fitting every frame, that is exactly what the Framky set is built for: MDF frames, pigment printing, self-adhesive hangers, and a 1:1 template.
Start by picking a layout in the shop: photo gallery wall.
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